I have decided that I want to get the Keychron K15 Pro (Alice layout, wireless, 75%), and so the only remaining decision is the configuration (primarily: switches). Because several of the configurations are currently out of stock, I want to come up with a decent backup option to order.
For context: My current daily driver is a Logitech Ergo K860. I enjoy it overall but want to move to a mechanical board. I have tried brown switches before and liked them a lot. I am on videoconferencing calls a lot and want to be able to type quietly (e.g. taking notes) during calls, and I live in a household with others, so I don't want anything too loud (i.e. clicky blues are out). I'm open to linear reds, but am worried about them feeling too light to the touch and causing inaccuracies. All else being equal, I would prefer a hot-swappable keyboard (for the flexibility), but it will significantly increase cost (see below). Finally, note that the K15 Pro uses Gateron low profile (2.0, i.e. KS-33) mechanical (not optical) switches.
Based on what is currently in stock, I basically have three choices:
(1) White lighting, non-hot-swappable board, with linear reds for $94
(2) RGB lighting, non-hot-swappable board, with linear reds or tactile browns for $104
(3) RGB lighting, hot-swappable board, with clicky blues for $114 + a set of reds or browns to replace them for another $31.
(I don't care about RGB lighting, but it's a prerequisite for the hot-swappable board and there are stock limitations in various configurations.)
I really don't want to spend another $51 over base price for the hot-swappable board if I can avoid it, but that means that I need to (permanently for this board) decide on reds versus browns. I think I will appreciate the quietness of the reds but the feel of the browns. So here are my questions:
(1) Are the Gateron low profile reds really that much quieter than the browns? This YouTube video was helpful in concept but honestly I can hardly tell the difference between them, even though the browns are supposed to be reasonably louder than the reds.
(2) If I bottom out with the reds (seems likely on a low profile board with linear switches), won't that be just as loud, more or less, as bottoming out with browns?
(3) Can you type faster with reds than with browns? It seems like that would be the case in theory, but my googling has provided inconsistent results.
I appreciate any recommendations that you all have to offer!
Videos
I can't seem to find anything on them. Ideally I want Brown Switches that are Low-Profile with a numpad. I don't really like the how normal mechanical keyboard keys are, I find them too tall/bulky if you know what I mean. Price doesn't really matter, just trying to find the keyboard, thanks.
Edit: Links with pictures, if any, would help a lot.
How does the Gateron low profile brown switch compare to the normal Gateron Browns? Really conflicted with the K1v4 or the K8. I couldn't find comparisons anywhere. Thanks in advance.
I have both the K1V4 with Brown switches and the K6 with brown switches, from experience, the K1 is more tactile, you can feel the bump, the K6 with browns feels like a linear with dirt inside as many people say. That said, I much prefer the K6, I swapped out the Browns for Zelios V2s and it's a night and day difference in terms of tactility.
i got both the k1v4 and k2 with browns from amazon.
the k1 feels nice but it is fatiguing over time. it feels heavy to type on and you end up bottoming out a lot more against the aluminum plate.
i definitely prefer the k2's feel for general typing and gaming. i would recommend adding foam and putting some o-rings under the louder keys if you would like a better sounding experience.
hello,
im looking for a low profile keyboard i can primarily use for typing. i heard that the mx blues were good, but they are expensive. gateron blues after research are "similar" but when i searched gateron low profile blues, nothing popped up. The keyboard im looking at is the Keychron K1 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard ( Keychron K1 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard )
A was wondering if somebody has them and could explain their thoughts on the switch type!
Thanks!
edit: if they are bad, what is a better alternative?
Let me give you my impression of Keychron, by comparing it with some other low-profile keyboards in my possession. It's difficult to evaluate a mechanical keyboard as "good" or "bad". You can only compare it to other mechanical keyboards, by taking into account also the price range. I can also provide a low-profile alternative for blues or browns.
I am a developer, and I use my keyboards exclusively for typing.
I have 3 mechanical keyboards, all low-profile.
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Logitech G915 TLK, with GL Tactile (which is a rebranded version of the Kailh Choc browns)
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Sharkoon Purewriter (the same as Havit KB390L) with the blue switches - Kailh Choc blues.
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Keychron K1 full-size with Gateron browns.
I use all three equally, and here is my opinion:
Kailh Choc switches are somewhat the de-facto standard when it comes to low-profile switches. I haven't seen any other low-profile keyboard other than K1 that uses Gateron.
Kaihl Choc are excellent. I really enjoy them, and I can't get past how good they feel.
G 915 has everything - it's a beast.
It's aluminum; it has the best Bluetooth connection possible (and two other connection types - lightspeed and cable). When it comes to typing, it's excellent. I am typing very fast.
The feedback of the Kaihl browns is excellent, without having that clicky sound. For sure, it feels a bit "mushier" than the blues, but it may as well be the best Brown switch when it comes to the sound and feel of typing. It is a good candidate for bringing it to the office.
It also comes with Blue switches. I totally recommend it if you have the money.
Sharkoon, on the other hand, is something I did not expect to love so much.
It's wired, steady, and lightweight. It's a bit noisy, and I have the feeling that it's a bit noisier than the cherry blues. That's because it uses a different mechanism for providing the sound, and it performs a clear "click" sound even when depressing the key. The keys feel very light - lighter than even the brown switches of the G915. I have found that I can type extremely fast on this keyboard, and I strongly recommend it ( it's very cheap, too).
Keychron was a surprise.
First of all, the Gateron browns are more silent than the ones found on my G915. I can type as fast as I can using my G915 in it. However, I have noticed that the way the keyboard is constructed favors touch typing more than anything else (I can't actually explain it).
Watch out for the keycaps; they are a "love it or hate it" kind of thing. The keycaps will annoy you if your finger touches the edges of it due to its form. This doesn't apply to the keycaps of both other keyboards I use.. The keycap surface is also a bit smaller than those of the other keyboards I use. This means that you have to be more precise when typing, compared to alternative keyboards. On the other hand, the distance from one keycap to the other is also greater than on the other keyboards, so there is that. It's like it forces you to be precise.
Gateron browns are not bad by any means. They are not as satisfying as Kailh browns, however. They are also just a tiny bit heavier. On the other hand, I find keychron to be much softer regarding its sound than my G915. The keycaps are also better fitted to the stems of the switches, resulting in less wobbling of the keycaps (something that is prevalent in G915). It's an excellent candidate for the office (brown switches). It's also very sturdily constructed.
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Overall, the value-for-money for Keychron is very good, if you like brown switches. Otherwise, you can try the Sharkoon (Or Havit) with the blue ones. They are very good, and they won't cost you a fortune should you not like them.
I can also recommend taking a look at Hexgears Venture (if you can afford it, Kailh Choc again) or Hexgears X-1 for a clicky feel.
I too use my keyboards primarily for typing rather than gaming. I have that exact keyboard with those switches and am unhappy with it. I am a pretty heavy typist and I find the keys really crashing hard into the end of their range of motion with every keypress. The resulting vibrations very quickly fatigue my fingers and hands.
Although I grew up typing on mechanical keyboards when that's all that there really was, I had gotten used to the low profile keyboards that come with computers in recent years and wasn't used to moving my fingers so much anymore. I thought low profile mechanical keyboard would give me the best of both worlds, but at least in the case of the K1 with Gateron low profile blue, it didn't work out. I'm back to traditional rather than low-profile keyboards and find I'm getting used to them again very quickly.
Hi everyone.
I have used a high profile keyboard (SPC Gear GK550 Omnis Kailh Brown) with Kailh Brown switches for 4 years and I really liked typing using it, with its loudness being the only disadvantage.
For a long time I really wanted to try a low-profile mech, as I preferred low membranes to high membranes, so I thought that it would be the same with a mechanical one. I got Keychron K5SE-E1 with Gateron Keychron Optical Red switches. I really like the layout of the keyboard and my girlfriend likes that it's quiet now, but I absolutely hate writing using it. I make a lot of mistakes when typing and I accidentally activate some keys as I simply like to lay my fingers on the keyboard. What I only don't know if it's "linearity" that is my problem, or the low activation force.
As switches are hot-swappable, could you please advise, if I should simply get low-profile browns, as I liked them in my high-profile one, or should I look for something else?
Thanks!